In a solo show at the Malta School of Art in Valletta, artist Kane Calì presents his latest body of work – a series of sculptures exhibited “in conversation” with the historical casts that are housed within the building.
The work of Calì positions viewers at the crossroads between several forces and realities: the natural and man-made; the whole and the fragment; the hopeful and the dystopian; our collective past and an unknown future; intention and chance; the digital and the tactile; the pursuit of beauty and the onset of disaster.
We Started a Fire is a departure from previous work, where the artist investigates new materials and establishes a new aesthetic based on the subject matter of his choice.
It is a commentary about contemporary attitudes towards global politics, the climate crisis and other urgencies defining our current time.
An experimentalist with an acute fascination with the malleability of data, Calì has explored various media, most notably ceramics, glass and 3D printing.
While allowing his tools to identify and capture content within both the landscape of the virtual and that of the real, his artistic practice mirrors humanity’s desire for advancement, while remaining firmly grounded in tangible, everyday surroundings.
Calì’s artistic development reflects a personal interest in critical theory and contemporary political discourse. With a studio based in Malta, he has presented work that is two and three dimensional, with a growing interest in public art.
Calì completed an MA in Ceramics and Glass from the Royal College of Art and has since exhibited locally and in major international cities, including Milan, London, Copenhagen and Shanghai.
We Started a Fire is curated by Andrew Borg Wirth. It is open from September 1-14 and attendance is by appointment.
